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February 08, 2010

The Layoff - A Child's Perspective

THE LAYOFF - A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

The latest unemployment numbers show the percentage of those without work has dropped a bit - but employers are still not creating many new jobs.

Nine-year-old Alison Spiller wrote us a letter after listening to an episode of our program. She wrote, "I hope my experiences will help your listeners with children." Turns out, Alison’s father was unemployed for over a year before he found a new job, and that meant big changes in Alison’s lifestyle. Alison Spiller and her mother Rachael Clark join Dick Gordon to talk about their family’s experience with unemployment.

YOUR STORY- A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

When we turn the storytelling over to you, we get all kinds of meaningful stories. Chan Gannaway wrote in to say his story goes into the coincidence category. This all began innocently enough. Chan was job hunting and knew there was a good opening nearby. He drove over to the location, hoping to meet the manager in person. And that’s where the story takes a strange turn. Both men were connected to a tragedy that had occurred many years before. Chan says meeting brought them both some peace.

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This week at a science conference in Orlando, Army officials are looking at a new kind of tank. It's a light, unmanned ground vehicle that can be sent into danger spots without risking the lives of soldiers. The tank is called Ripsaw, and it was invented in the garage of twin brothers from Maine. Also in this episode: another in our series of "tough jobs". This time, a transplant surgeon.

Bernie Madoff is in jail and the headlines are crowded with stories of corporate manipulation. Humberto Aguilar has a story about trying to beat the system - and failing. Back in the 80s, Humberto was a high-profile lawyer in Miami. Many of Humberto's clients were drug dealers, and soon enough they were asking him to launder money for them.

Like many in the real estate business these days, Ardell DellaLoggia has been struggling with the ongoing downturn in the home-buying market. She's a real estate agent in the Seattle area, and on two occasions over the years has turned to an unlikely source of help for her and her clients: statues of St. Joseph. Also in this episode: an international dog rescue.

When Angela Angelle became homeless in October of 1996, she had 7 children and she was pregnant with twins. A children's services worker found them all living together in a trailer with no electricity - and Angela faced the possibility of losing custody. Guest host Aaron Henkin talks with Angela s now a homeowner, and the director of the New Life Center - the homeless shelter that once took her family in. Also in this eoisode: listener Ken Hyatt shares his story, about a lost and found Bible.

Photographer Sara Naomi Lewkowicz spent months documenting the lives of a young couple, Shane and Maggie. She was in their home the night that Shane attacked Maggie, and photographed the attack. Although her images were integral in putting Shane behind bars, Sara was widely criticized for not putting down her camera and intervening.

The V.A. recently made it easier for veterans to be designated victims of PTSD. But if those PTSD patients are actually being helped by their treatments is still a matter of debate. Jim Worlein served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and came within feet of death many times. In the years following Jim's deployment, his PTSD symptoms - headaches, tremors, nightmares and panic attacks - got worse and worse. The treatment Jim received at the V.A. wasn't working, so he finally sought the help of a private therapist. Jim and his wife Lyz talk with Dick Gordon about life as a family coping with PTSD, and Jim's hopes for other veterans. Also: teachers will be retiring in record numbers over the next few years. Today, Dick Gordon speaks with one newly retired teacher from Iowa.